A True Passion
by Magic Owl
Summary: When Lily Evans meets James Potter in Hogsmeade Village, will she discover what love really is? Follow these two young Aurors through their careers, life, love and tragedy. Please R&R, this is my first fic!
1. The Start Of Something New

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP or any of the characters.**

**This is my first fic, so please be nice. Also, R&R!**

Chapter 1- The Start of Something New

Lily Evans strode down the streets of Hogsmeade Village, enjoying her day off from the ministry. She had decided to apparate to Hogsmeade because she had become extremely bored in her small apartment. She passed many odd yet interesting witches and wizards. Also a few teens from Hogwarts on their Hogsmeade weekend. Lily decided to go inside Zonko's Joke Shop, even though it was a very childish store. What she saw took her breath away. A man with untidy black hair, hazel eyes, and glasses, was standing next to a little girl and helping her reach a very rude teddy bear on one of the top shelves. The girl smiled at the man and hugged his thigh, which was as far up as she could reach of him.

"Thank you, sir!" She said as she walked away.

"Don't insult your mum with that bear!" The man laughed. He turned to face Lily, and smiled. Lily quickly looked away, realizing she was staring.

"Hello, miss. Fine day, isn't it?" His eyes twinkled behind his glasses.

"Ye-yes, very nice." Lily gasped, inwardly screaming at herself for stuttering.

The man held out his hand, "James Potter."

Lily shook it, "Lily Evans." When their hands touched, a shot of electricity surged through their bodies. Lily felt somehow…connected to this man who called himself James Potter.

"Er..um..nice to meet you Mr. Potter." Lily stammered.

"Oh please, call me James, Lily."

"Okay Mr-I mean James. So do you have any particular profession?" Lily asked, trying to stir up conversation. For some reason, she didn't want to leave this man and continue her stroll.

"Yeah, actually. I'm an auror at the ministry of magic. So what-"

"So am I! I wonder why I haven't seen you around the ministry at all…" Lily's emerald eyes widened, surprised they were both aurors at the ministry.

"Well, the ministry is pretty large. And usually I'm always all over the place. No one ever knows where I've slipped off to." James grinned at Lily. James glanced at his watch. Tonight was a full moon. James wanted to be with Remus, even though he'd be perfectly fine taking his wolfsbane potion.

"Well, Lily, I guess I'll see you around. Maybe at the ministry café. I need my coffee in the morning." James smiled, nodded, and disapparated once out the door. Lily stood there, glued to the floor. She knew she had just met an extrodinary wizard. Little did she know, he was thinking the same about her.

**Hey, thanks for reading! R&R!**

**Magic Owl p.s. Chapter 2 soon!**


	2. Silent Terror

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**I would like to dedicate this chapter to J.K. Rowling, the amazing author that started it all. Thank you so much to all my readers and reviewers, it really means a lot to me. Please, feel free to review, whether it's praise or criticism. -Magic Owl**

Chapter 2- Silent Terror

James Potter sat alone inside the ministry café. He wondered why there wasn't anyone else inside the cozy little coffee shop. The eerie silence was unsettling. James strained his ears to see if he could hear the 'ding' of an elevator climbing floors, or people having hurried conversations as they rushed to their desk cubicles.   
Nothing.  
Complete and total silence. James was getting suspicious. Was a meeting going on somewhere that he was unaware of?

_Certainly not, I would have been notified. _James thought, reassuring himself that everything was fine.

But James knew everything was not fine, he had a feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was starting to feel slightly paranoid, but he tried to brush it off.

"BOOM!"

James sprang out of his chair, wand at the ready. The loud crashing noise had sounded like it was coming from the eighth floor. James was debating whether to get reinforcements (he wasn't even sure if they were necessary, considering he didn't have the slightest idea what had made the excruciatingly loud crashing noise) or to let the curiosity that was bubbling up inside of him take control.

Thinking about how curious he was led him to another question. How in Merlin's name had he managed to get his job as an Auror? James wasn't exactly the most cautious guy on earth, meaning he didn't always think before acting. Also, he sometimes let his emotions get the better of him. Then again, he did have a natural talent for wheedling his way out of trouble. James was fairly bright, too. He had gotten top marks on most of his exams while in training at the Auror academy.

James heard footsteps, wrenching him out of his thoughts.

"James?" said a woman's voice.

James whipped around to see Lily Evans standing before him.

"Lily, hey. Merlin, you scared the living daylights out of me." James smiled, straightening his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"Oh…erm, sorry," Lily said, not really sure what to say. "Did you hear that noise, or was it just my imagination?"

"I heard it too. It sounded like it was coming from the eighth floor, didn't it?" James replied, glancing briefly at the elevator.

Lily nodded, a mischievous glint in her eye, "I think we should go investigate. I mean, it is our duty as Aurors to keep the wizarding world safe, right?"

James could see where she was going with this, and grinned, "Right. Yep. That's us, fully qualified, educated, Aurors."

They locked eyes, then both turned to face the elevator.

"Last one to the elevator's a troll!" James yelled, sprinting towards the elevator. He was laughing maniacally at the look on Lily's face.

"That's so unfair! You cheated, you…you…you cheater!" Lily said playfully, running after James.

"Oh yeah, nice come-back, Miss Evans." James snorted, reaching the elevator first.

A few seconds later, Lily was next to him, "Oh sure, and you're so suave. Just because you're taller doesn't mean you have the advantage, Mr. Potter."

"Are you sure about that?" James looked straight into Lily's sparkling emerald-green eyes, smiling one of his 'heartbreaker' smiles.

Lily felt as if she were melting like a snowman in the sun. But she quickly pulled herself together,  
"Yes, I am," she said simply, striding inside of the elevator as the doors slowly opened.

James rolled his eyes, then walked in behind her.

Lily roughly pushed the number eight, and the elevator began moving.

Lily turned to face James on the other side of the elevator, "Okay, time to be serious. Now, we don't know what we're going to find up there, so we should have a plan." Lily said in a business-like tone.

"Good idea. If the area is empty, we should split up and investigate. Otherwise, keep your wand at the ready." James nodded, holding out his hand to shake on it.

Lily grasped his hand, and the same sensation she had felt yesterday in Hogsmeade came tingling up her spine. She automatically released his hand and directed her gaze at the floor.

_Ding._

"Welcome to the Office for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."

The doors slowly opened to reveal an area of total destruction.

Chairs were thrown everywhere, some in pieces. Little bits of parchment were sprinkled this way and that. Broken quills and ink bottles, desk cubicle walls ripped and scratch marks everywhere. The place looked like the battle of the century had just been staged.

Lily let out an involuntary gasp of shock, and James simply stared.

"O-okay, let's split up and investigate," Lily said shakily.

"Oh, right." James nodded at Lily, then set off in the opposite direction.

Lily did the same.

James went down a dark hallway, wand extended in front of him. He saw claw marks on the walls again. James stopped in front of a black door. It had something on it that looked suspiciously like water, only thicker. James knew it wasn't wise, especially in the wizarding world, to just reach out and touch an unknown substance. Being the adventurous person he was, James touched it anyway. Drool. That's what it was. The door was slightly cracked open, but not enough for James to see anything. He wasn't sure what was beyond that doorway, but he needed to find out. For his own sake. James thought he might explode with curiosity. Just as James went to open the door, there was a bloodcurdling scream. Lily's scream.

"LILY!"

James yelled as he ran away from the mysterious door. He ran in the direction Lily's scream had come from. James went down another dark hallway, and saw a room with the door wide open and a greenish glow radiating from it. Forgetting all safety measures, the young wizard burst into the room and saw her.

Lily was standing stock-still, with something lying in front of her. James cautiously approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Lily whipped around, and James stared in horror at what was lying near her feet. There, lying near the young witch's feet, was a dead woman.

"Oh James, I didn't-it was just-I walked in and…" Lily had a look of pure terror on her face.

"Lily, calm down. Do you seriously think I would accuse you of murder?" James said soothingly, glancing reproachfully at the corpse.

"No, but still…" Lily stared at the floor, embarrassed by her outburst. Sure, she and James were Aurors. Yes, they were supposed to be used that kind of thing. But it was early in their career, and no one ever gets used to seeing a dead body.

"Was it just here when you came in?" James asked her, gesturing towards the body.

"Yes. But it's not really who she is that worries me, it's what killed her." Lily said grimly.

James nodded slowly, thinking.

Lily suddenly gasped and said, "James, look at her arm!"

James shot Lily a funny look, then glanced at the woman's left arm.

To his horror, there was an extremely large 'thorn' wedged into the woman's flesh. The 'thorn' was glowing a bright green color.

"Oh sweet Merlin, is that…?"

"Yes. I think that's a poison dart from a manticore's tail, James." Lily replied.

James shook his head, "This is insane. Why in the world would there be a _manticore _inside the Ministry of Magic?"

"James, we've _got _to get out of here! The manticore-"

"Is here," said a melodious voice from the doorway.

Lily and James stared, horrified. They very well knew this could be the last thing they ever saw. A manticore was considered one of the most dangerous and aggressive creatures in the wizarding world.

The manticore looked the two Aurors up and down, licking his lips.

"Well, well, well, what have we got here? Two delicious looking humans, what a treat! As soon as I devour this one," The manticore gestured with his paw towards the corpse, "I'll have my dessert."

James felt Lily stiffen next to him. He stared at the foul creature known as the manticore. It had the body of a lion, the face of a human, and a scorpion-like tail with poison darts on it. The manticore smiled maliciously at them, then leaped over the two and pounced on the dead woman. He began to rip the woman's flesh and eat it hungrily, blood splattering all over the wall and the manticore's fur. James watched, a disgusted look crossing his face. Lily simply stared, shocked. The manticore must have hit the woman with a poison dart and left her there to wait for the poison to enter her blood stream. He certainly didn't need to wait long, for a manticore's fast-acting poison was deadly.

James knew there was no escaping their fate, unless…

"Lily, I've got a plan," James said hurriedly, glancing at her beside him.

"Enlighten me," Lily whispered, looking at him apprehensively.

"Okay, you know how manticores have horrible eyesight, and they can only detect people by their body heat?" James prompted.

Lily was beginning to catch on. "Yeah…"

"Well, I figure if we use the Body Temperature Charm, and make our body temperatures as low as possible, we'll be able to get out of here!" James said enthusiastically, looking at Lily for even the smallest sign of approval.

Lily's face lit up. "James, that's a great idea! Why didn't I think of that?"

"Yeah, let's all rejoice. The only problem is, I don't remember the incantation," James groaned, wanting to smack himself.

"Well, you're in luck, because I do." Lily grinned, then pointed her wand at James' chest.

"_Noskol Ventrisulum!"_

James felt an icy sensation fill out his body. He felt as if he were in the Arctic with swimming trunks on.

Lily pointed her wand at herself and repeated the incantation.

The manticore finally finished eating the body, bones and all, then turned around.

"Where are you? Reveal yourselves!" Roared the manticore, waving his head around crazily in every direction.

James and Lily smiled at each other. The spell had worked. They knew it was important they were as quiet as possible. A manticore had excellent hearing, to make up for its poor eyesight.

"Let's go, follow me," James mouthed to Lily, as he began to tip-toe out the door.

Lily nodded and followed him. Unfortunately, being clumsy, Lily dropped her wand. She winced and quickly picked it up.

"I hear you! You can't escape me!" The manticore hurtled out the door, following them.

"Take off your shoes!" Lily whispered to James. The two Aurors threw off their shoes and began to run, their socks only making barely audible scuffing noises.

They both jumped at the elevator, where Lily hurriedly pressed the down arrow. They would Apparate, but that was impossible inside the Ministry. After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator doors slowly opened. Lily and James hurried inside and hit the 'close' button. Then the number one.

After about five minutes, the elevator stopped on the first floor. Lily and James ran towards the doors that led outside, and almost flew out them. Once outside, they were enticed with the cool mid-afternoon air.

"Hurry, take my hand." James said frantically. He held out his hand to her.

"Why?" Lily looked at him suspiciously.

"We're Apparating to my house." James said exasperatedly.

Lily heard a loud roar that sounded not to far away, so she obliged and grabbed James' hand.

And with that, the two Aurors Apparated to Godric Gryffindor's Hollow.

**Please Review! All will be explained in next chapter! Thanks! -Magic Owl**


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